A StoryBook Romance
by Charlotte A. Cavatica
Summary: Love and nonsense fit together very well: sometimes you have to look over a verse once or twice to understand it. Sometimes you have to look you over once or twice to understand you. After all, rings are just metal. AlicexJervis


"The girlfriend is pregnant," Alice explained. She pinched the skin of her now-ringless finger and rubbed it between her fingertips.

It was one of Alice's bimonthly visits to Arkham Asylum. When Jervis had been originally sentenced, the authorities from the institution had forbid her from visiting, due to the volatile nature of Jervis' trial and his rage and grief over his foiled attempts to be with her. For one and a half years, Alice had called Dr. Leland once a month, trying to persuade her to let her visit Jervis. Finally, when the doctor deemed Jervis sound enough to be with a visitor, Alice was permitted to see him for five minutes. Despite the awkwardness of the visit and the short time allotted, Alice was relieved to see his face again—more aged, gaunter than she was happy with, but at least it was really him.

Billy had been frustrated at her steadfast insistence on seeing her ex-employer. He couldn't imagine that she would want to have anything to do with the man, particularly after the incident that had driven Tetch mad in the first place.

"Alice, think about it. You should be filing a restraining order on this guy, not begging to see him! He possessed you, and me, too! He tried to destroy us and he might've done anything to you in that maze!"

But her Jervis never would have done such a thing. He wouldn't harm a hair on her head, and hadn't, that strange night in Wonderland. He had been all courtly manners and humiliation, viewing her as a silent, sparkling goddess on an unwanted pedestal. And she, she for whom he yearned and ached, she whom he had captured just for a moment of her attention, had been trapped, unable to explain or comfort him. She had tortured him without even trying; that negligence and oblivious self-absorption pained her more than anything he could have done. She hadn't seen his feelings, which must have been there all along for her to see.

And whenever she thought of him, it wasn't that night in the maze; at least, not foremost. It was happy years they spent together, calmly enjoying one another's company. It was the day she caught him quoting Carroll to his rats; the day they named one after Dr. Cates, laughing quietly together.

She remembered the card he gave her on her birthday and the delighted surprise on his face when she remembered his. She remembered dragging him out of his office to come and join the Christmas party, if only for a few moments, just to be with him in the light. She remembered how soft-spoken and nervous and shy he could be, how awkward in his movements, and how utterly sweet and gentle and intelligent he was whenever they were together.

He was her dear, dear friend, her confidant, her White Knight. To be certain, an older, awkward, clumsy, slightly odd White Knight, the kind more inclined to fall off his horse than ride it; but he was there to rescue her from melancholy and ride alongside her when she was lonely, entertaining her with his marvelous ideas and inventions and the lovely, mild personality that she always seemed to be able to bring out in him.

He inspired her to bring him out of his shell and share with him the joy she found both inside and outside of work.

She had craved a boon one birthday, begged him to come out with her to lunch. He had been wary of the idea, stuttering some protest or another about his work and turning red. She had worn him down with wheedling and cajoling, finally going so far as to playfully pout at him and bat her eyelashes. His resistance had crumbled very shortly after that.

_"There, see?"_ she'd said, once they were seated and perusing their menus. _"It's not so bad."_

_"I suppose. The company must make the meal," _he'd replied, blushing slightly.

Surprising at his unexpected, slightly flirtatious compliment, she'd laughed and said, _"You're such a charmer, Jervis."_

And he always was.

Even when she did think about the night of her kidnapping, she could only imagine the desperate sorrow on his face, that night when he came to her and slipped a card behind her ear. She could only remember the sudden rush of regret as he brought her into his arms, realizing that she had, in cruel happiness, inadvertently rejected him and broken his heart. Suddenly, she felt as if she had missed out on the most marvelous opportunity.

Yes, what he had done was wrong, was indeed quite insane, but somehow, she forgave him and missed him despite it.

And, oh, this, the saddest part of all: weren't they the most romantic two nights of her life? One spent with him, dining, dancing, watching, fascinated, as he guided her through a beautiful evening; showing her a side of himself even she, who might have known him best, had never seen. Now she knew: he had been trying to present himself to her as a _lover_.

And then the next evening, the terror of the night that she was his captive. But didn't it make a sort of story book sense? The barmaid that falls in love after being captured by the dashing pirate? The miller's daughter with the king that threatens her with the choice "spin gold or die"? 'Us and our story-book imaginations,' she had thought despairingly, after the fact; at the time, however, all of her attention had been on the hated mind-control device and the astounding man that had brought her to the park.

People had been hurt that night, and she had been hypnotized, and all manner of strange and terrible things had happened…_and it was all for her_. A man was so driven to madness for love of her. He was quite literally ready, that night, to do anything to please her, if it would keep her by his side.

Alice was horrified by his actions, was repulsed by the way he had controlled her, and never wanted to repeat the experience again.

But a tiny voice still whispered that in those two nights, Jervis Tetch had been the most amazingly attentive, bewitching, and magnetic man she had ever, ever met.

Including Billy.

How could she explain any of that to her boyfriend?

It was an impossible thing to do.

So, when she grew weary of explaining herself and defending Jervis again and again, she simply stopped bringing it up. That seemed to content Billy, as now he could believe she was no longer seeking communication with her friend.

Their wedding seemed to ease him even more.

She had done it as much, if not more, for him as for herself. Sure, she loved him, and she was happy on her wedding day, but the reality seemed that Billy was the more pleased with their nuptials. She suspected that he felt that they had come out of their ordeal unscathed, that now everything was back to as it had been. He might have even thought, perhaps unconsciously, that he was the victor in the fight for her hand. He was the prince that saved the princess.

The first six months were quite happy, the first year pleasant, the first eighteen months adequate. So what if they were each out late? Alice's new job in Wayne Enterprises required her to work some nights, and Billy had started working out and going on long runs with a group of friends, or so he said.

When Alice was caught returning home from a visit with Jervis (he somehow knew she was married, although she never mentioned it) after being married for two years and nine months, Billy had thrown a fit of temper. A screaming match ensued and Alice stayed with a friend for a week as she cooled off. Outsiders proposed that her that her lingering affection for a madman was destroying her marriage, but Alice would not hear of anything of the kind. She was no child and she was allowed to visit whomever she liked, married or no. After the week, Alice returned home to an apologetic husband and all seemed fine.

Then, one night, Alice came home to find Billy having a cup of coffee with a strange woman. Recognizing the woman from a party she had gone to with Billy, Alice greeted her cheerfully. The woman slanted a queer look to Billy, and Billy cleared his throat.

"Uh, Alice? You remember Rose, my running friend?"

Searching for a coffee cup to join them, Alice replied, "Of course! How do you do?"

"She's pregnant."

"Congratulations?" Alice said, looking at Billy with a surprised expression. What was this about?

Then, the final words.

"It's mine."

It wasn't until she was sweeping up the debris that she realized that she had shattered all of their wedding china while forcing her husband and his girlfriend out of the house.

* * *

"I beg your pardon?"

"Billy's girlfriend is pregnant."

A pause stretched between them.

"How pregnant?"

"Six months, now."

Now, a long, scandalized silence.

"I am sorry, Alice."

She smiled a sad little smile. "I'd thank you, but 'I don't believe there is an atom of meaning in that.'"

He blinked. "You read it?"

"Of course. It's amazing."

"I know." A small smile, replaced by a frown. "I do wish he hadn't treated you so foully, my dear."

She nodded slightly, feeling numb. "It's really my fault, I suppose."

"Your cheating husband was your fault?" Jervis looked skeptical. He was reluctant to blame Alice for anything, but this in particular he found ridiculous.

"We began to drift apart at the worst possible time." She sighed and pinched her finger again. "I didn't think about him much, even when we were together. He was like--" now, she struggled for a term, "-like a roommate, or a cousin. I wasn't in love with him, I just loved him. Like an old friend. And…I was distracted during most of our time together."

"What do you mean when you say, 'distracted,' my dear?"

This was the difficult part. Having established over the course of many visits that Jervis did not hate her, Alice had embarked on a tentative mission to regain his friendship. It hadn't exactly been an uphill battle, mostly because she found it so easy to trust him again. He was still the same Jervis, just a little older and a lot sadder. But she could always talk to her White Knight. It was only a matter of remembering how to.

"I was…" she looked up at him, her eyes instantly locking on his, "…thinking about someone else."

Another long silence. Jervis stared at her, blinking once or twice. Suddenly, his eyes widened even further, and he gaped like a fish for a moment.

Alice's eyes were hurting, and she was moderately surprised to find liquid on the back of her hand when she rubbed at them.

"What are you saying?" Jervis asked in a tortured whisper, desperately clamping down on the feeling of burning, tenacious hope as it created a long crack in the wall of denial he had built up around his heart. He was supposed to be in control of this! He had just re-won her friendship and he mustn't fantasize…but what was she saying? What could she mean?...

Alice took a deep breath. "I mean--"

The buzzer over the door rang.

"By the queen!" Jervis swore. "Tell me!" he pleaded with anguished eyes to Alice as a guard came in and took Jervis' arms abruptly, already leading him out.

"Please, just another moment!" begged Alice, horrified that he would be taken away now.

"No can do. Visiting hours are over; doc's orders," the guard said, attempting to drag an unwilling Jervis away from Alice.

"Tell me! Now, Alice, _please_!" The desperation in the man's shout was all she needed.

"It was you!" Oh, it was out, and he knew, and she'd never felt so relieved; not after the headband was off, not after she found out she was able to see him. "I was thinking about you the entire time! Falling in love with you!"

"Oh, Alice!" he cried, a joy in his voice that she had never heard before. The guard was outside the door, tugging Jervis' arms hard enough to bruise.

"I'll be back soon," she yelled after him, "as soon as I can!"

"My Alice!" her Hatter cried back as his feet disappeared from the doorway. The man sounded like he had reached ecstasy.

Alice was panting, adrenaline rushing through her veins. He knew. Her cheeks flushed. He didn't reject her! He…he might even still love her!

Dr. Leland entered the room, her eyebrows situated in an intrigued expression. "Mrs. Travers?"

"Ms. Pleasance, please," Alice smiled, collecting her handbag.

"Ms. Pleasance, then. Regarding that little scene…you do know what this means?" The doctor seemed very concerned. "You are sure about this? If you're not, this could shatter him completely."

"I'm sure," said Alice, seriously. "I am so sure. I've never felt this way before. I like him and I respect him, and I want to actually spend all my time with him, instead of just imagining it."

This seemed to satisfy Leland, for the moment. "And when will your divorce be finalized?"

"At the end of the month. We sign the papers three weeks from Tuesday." Alice would be on pins and needled until then.

Dr. Leland nodded. "Very well, I'd like to speak alone with you, and with Jervis, on your next visit. When will you be returning?" The two women left the visitor's room and began to walk down the hall to the door.

"How early can you fit me in tomorrow?"

* * *

A/N: This is my first Alice/Jervis. This pairing just gets too little attention! For now, this is a one shot, but if anyone wants to see more or, better yet, would like to suggest something, my words are at your disposal.


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